Feed mechanism.



c. A. BIRTH.- -FEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION F-ILED MAY 8, 1908.'

899,981! Patented sept.29,19o8..

l i 5 4 mf UNITED] sTATEs PATENT oEEicE- CARL ALBERT HIRTH, 0F GANNSTATT', GERMANY.

FEED MEGHANISM.

' Application le May 8 pire, have invented a new and useful Im-A provement in Feed Mechanism, following is a'specilication.

The invention relates to feed mechanism for splitting and cutting machines, especially for leather splitting and leather skiving machines, and serving to replace the feed rollers formerly used, its object being to sup-4 port the work and push it continuously forward right up to the cutting blade.

The device consists .of two or more groups of grippers which act alternately on the inaterial to be fed, in the known manner. Such grips have been used in sewing machines but the present arrangement differs inasmuch as the intermittent feed is now replaced by ay continuous feed. The action of the grippers is such that one or severalof them support the work and push it right up to the cutting blade. ln this final position the grippers sink and return empty to `their initial position, to be then brought into contact with. the work afresh; Y -v The drawings illustrate a typical form of the feed mechanism, Figure 1 being a longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 a section taken on of which the thelinc A-A of Fig. l.

The feed mechanism comprises a number of levers c which are luted or toothed on their upper edge in order to `act as grippers, and are mounted side by side, but are operated indei'nindeiitly of one another.- The 'motion is imparted in such a way that one half of the grippers e a'iebrought into contact with the work at a different time from the other. half of the grips, so that when theli'rst set of grippers is removed from contact with the work the second set support it alone until the 'first set of gripper-s again comes into contact with the work` The movement of f the feeding grippers is ell'ected in such a manthe fluted edge of ner that these gripper-s, which is above, move forward towards the cutting edge of the knife in ahorizontal plane, and at a speed corresponding to that f of the cutting operation; they the n drop out of contact with thegwork, and move backward empty, into the working position again, away from the cutting blade.

The grippers may lowing manner: Each gripper e is pivoted on the circular end of a siniple'lever h and is l vSpecficatcn of Letters Patent.

be mounted-in the fol-` ratented sept. 29, isos.

5 1908. Serial No. 431,716.

pressed by a s ring g against the material or work b and t e guide '0. pivoted upon a shaft h .carried by the frame d. The spring g is attached to the lever h near its point of rotation and rests on a noncircular rod i, by turning which the tension of the spring can be increased or diminished.

The forward movement of the ""gigip'pers e 1s eected by cams l, acting on lugs ofthe being operated from outside. The shaft m is connected by pinions fa, o with the shaft p, 'which carries cams 'g foracting on the levers h. j l

The device acts throu h the rippers e being turned about the en s of t e lever h by the rotation of the cams l, in the direction indicated by the arrow, toward the annular knife e, until a recess in the cams releases the lugs lc -of the grippers e, whereu on the gri pers c swing back under the in uence o t e springs g. Just before the release of the lug k the lever h was depressed by the cam q, thus displacing the center `of rotation of the grippers ev downward as well. This movement is represented in Fig. 1 for the front gripper. The gripper e has now moved away from the material b so that it can swing back into the right-hand idle position without hindrance by the material. As soon as'this has taken p ace the cam g releases the lever h again so that it can be raised by the spring g, the gripper c being pressed against the material b, once more and moved toward the left by the cam l, carrying the material along with it: this applies to the rear gripper shown .in

ig. l.

To render the forward movement of the material continuous, two or more sets. of

its initial position, another set keeps moving of effecting this is by connecting the odd and lleven numbered grippers into separate sets. The time consumed in the backward travel of the grips should be less than that occupied by the forward stroke,'n order to avoid any dead point in the forward movement. At least one set of grippers is always engaged in moving forward, but forthe most part the others are also sharing this movement.- -If the rippers e are mounted close together side y side,thy guide one another, so that a special guide-isfsuperfluous'. The thickness of the grippers can The levers. h are i grippers, the common shaft m of the cams grippers are used,' i-n such a manner that' while one set of the grippers is returning to therefore be so far rethe material forward. The simplest method duced as-to prevent any injury arising to the material through the work being supported onl atsingll; points.

atlc imis:

1. In a feed mechanism the combination.

. gagement with the work.

2. In a feed mechanism the combination of a plurality 'of setsof grippers ada ted to engage with the work, levers pivota y conlnected to said sets of grippers so that an oscillative movement of said levers successively move said sets of grippers into and out of engagement -with the work, means for simultaneously oscillating the levers common to one set of'grippers in one direction, and those common to the other set in the opposite direction whereby said sets of grippers are brought successively into engagement With the work, means for successlvely moving said sets of grippers forward when in engagement with the work, and means for successively movingsaid sets of grippers backward when out of e agement with the work.

3. Innfgee'dmechanism the combination of a frame, levers pivoted upon said frame, a pluralit of sets of grippers each of which is pivota 'ymounted upon one of the levers,`

v means acting upon the levers for moving the grippers successively into and out of engagement with the work, means acting upon the grippers' to move same forward and backsuccessively, and means fori insuring that the forward movement of each set of grippers shall take place when it is in engagement with the work and that the backward movement of same shall take place When it is out of engagement with the work. 4. In feed mechanism the combination of a frame, levers pivoted. upon said frame, a

lng pivotally mounted upon one of the levers, cams acting upon the levers to move the griplpers successively out of engagement with thc Work, cams acting upon the grippers to move same forward, and means acting simultaneously upon the grippers and the levers to move the said vrippers backward and 'after the levers are 'released by their cams to move the grippers into engagement with the work.

5. In feed mechanism the combination of a frame, levers pivoted upon said frame, two sets of grippers, each grip er being pivotally mounted upon one of the evers, cams acting upon the levers to move the grippcrs out of engagement with the work, cams acting upon the grippers to move same forward, and springs each acting simultaneously upon a gripper and its lever to move the former backward and out of engagement with thc work upon the cams releasing the grippers and their levers.

In testilnony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing wltnesses. v

CARL ALBERT HIRTH. Witnesses:

VSWAN Rias,

ALFRED HMMEL. 

